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Posted on Fri, Mar 22, 2013 : 10:30 a.m.

Frugal Friday at Roy's Squeeze Inn - majority of menu items are $5 or less

By Mary Bilyeu

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Frugal Floozie Friday is a feature that seeks out dishes — appetizers, drinks, snacks, desserts, sandwiches, whatever — for $5 or less per person. Sometimes I split generously-sized items with loved ones, saving both money and calories; sometimes I find a great deal on a single serving that fits perfectly within the mandatory budget. I try to showcase several options to choose from, and you never know where I'll find them. Check out the column every Friday!

I had driven by Roy's Squeeze Inn so many times, but never managed to stop in. That's too bad, because it offers wonderfully friendly service, good food, and amazing prices. Thus, it is today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature!

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Virtually every item — with the exception of a few of the burgers and the family-sized side orders — qualifies for our mandatory budget of $5 per person. So you could share the generous larger servings of fries, if you want to; but you can also get a meal for yourself within the price range.

I ordered the BBQ Pork Sandwich, pictured above, for $3.70. It was the size of a large burger, and — I was very pleased to find out — came topped with the coleslaw so that it wasn't necessary to place an extra order to put this together myself. I also wanted to see how generous the side dishes were, and found that the curly fries were a perfect single serving at $2.15. If you're just in the mood for a salty snack, they're ideal.

Craig chose the Quarter Cheese Squeeze burger that cost $3.70, and paired it with onion rings that also made for a nice-sized single serving, if you were to order them alone, for $2.20.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Roy's is quaint and old-fashioned with a semi-circular counter and cute tchotchkes; but Craig and I were the only ones who chose to eat in the restaurant on the evening that we visited. I was impressed to see at least a half-dozen customers come in for take-out orders, and found the service to be tremendously friendly as well as efficient.

Vegetarians will have to make do with the side dishes, from potato wedges to fried mushrooms, as well as the options listed above. Carnivores, however, will be able to eat very well for very little money. "Sandwiches," as the menu calls them, range from hot dogs to ham sandwiches (with or without cheese) and also a chicken sandwich; prices range from $1.30 to only $4.

And then there are the burgers, from Little Squeeze sliders costing a mere $1.15 each to the half-pound Big Squeeze for $4.95. You can also add toppings — extra cheese, crispy bacon, jalapeno peppers, grilled mushrooms, coleslaw, or chili — for as little as 40 cents and as much as $1.50.

So sort through the various permutations and eat very well at Roy's for less than $5!

Mary Bilyeu writes for AnnArbor.com on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, telling about her adventures in the kitchen - making dinner, celebrating holidays, entering cooking contests, meeting new friends ... whatever strikes her fancy. She is also on a mission to find great deals for her Frugal Floozie Friday posts, seeking fabulous food at restaurants on the limited budget of only $5 per person. Feel free to email her with questions, comments, or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

Comments

yscpunkchic

Sat, Mar 23, 2013 : 8:27 p.m.

The Roy's in Milan is better :) They have the original recipes from Roy himself.

EyeHeartA2

Sat, Mar 23, 2013 : 12:54 p.m.

Roys is great. I have not been there in a year or so, but this is the push I need.
THANKS for yet another great article. I think the one problem the $5 is that AA is just really expensive. Some of your best finds have been in Ypsi., this one included. Also that Mexican grocery was outstanding.

Matt Lang

Sat, Mar 23, 2013 : 10:33 a.m.

they filmed part of the movie &quot; Conviction&quot; here
with Hillary Swank a few years back

EightySeven

Sat, Mar 23, 2013 : 1:36 a.m.

You should stay on Michigan Ave and go to Bill's hotdog and Gabrielle's Hoagies, Both are awesome.

Matt Lang

Sat, Mar 23, 2013 : 10:31 a.m.

Chick-Inn, Fullhouse, and the Bomber are all
close by. I can get the same meal at the Fullhouse
that i get at 5 guys burgers in AA for $3 less,
and no parking issues.

Linda Peck

Fri, Mar 22, 2013 : 8:54 p.m.

Thanks so much for letting us in on this place. I will be stopping by there.

Stupid Hick

Fri, Mar 22, 2013 : 8:03 p.m.

Good job, and I'm happy to see a review of a place where you don't have to split a plate to eat for less than $5.

Thinking over here

Fri, Mar 22, 2013 : 5:12 p.m.

Oh ROy's burger are GREAT and they've been around for 50 years or so in Ypsi
at various locations. Roy's on the HIll :):)

Hmm

Fri, Mar 22, 2013 : 3:27 p.m.

Good call on the Roy's Mary, they make some of the best burgers in Ypsi.

johnkip

Fri, Mar 22, 2013 : 4:32 p.m.

I think in the whole area not just Ypsi!

Paula Gardner

Fri, Mar 22, 2013 : 2:56 p.m.

The BBQ sandwich with fries has long been a favorite 'treat' meal for me - going back to the previous restaurant near North Prospect. So good!